Michigan
With Lauren Betts out, No. 1 UCLA survives No. 22 Michigan State upset bid in thriller
Londynn Jones made a pull-up jumper.
Kiki Rice got a steal.
Janiah Barker scored a tough putback layup.
Rice hit free throws.
And then, Timea Gardiner hit the biggest three of the season for the Bruins with 44 seconds to go.
Top-ranked UCLA has proven to be one of the deepest teams in the nation, and they showed it again Sunday night, overcoming the absence of their leading scorer to defeat No. 22 Michigan State 75-69 in a March Madness-like thriller.
Bruins coach Cori Close let out a big sigh at the start of her postgame news conference.
“I aged a few years in that game,” she joked. “I am really proud of the confidence, and the grit and the toughness that we earned. We’ve been talking a lot about not relying on your talent or making it look pretty, but doing whatever it takes to find a way to win.”
UCLA star center Lauren Betts did not play because of a foot injury. She wore an air cast during pregame warmups and is considered day-to-day, the team announced.
Making up for Betts’ absence required a collective effort, and Barker did her part. One of her best plays came with just over a minute left before halftime when she stole the ball from Michigan State’s Nyla Hampton and scored on an easy layup to put the Bruins ahead 41-28 with just over a minute before halftime.
“We’re a super deep team as well, and so I think we did a phenomenal job,” Gardiner said. “Janiah Barker set us up today, she played 31 minutes and got a double-double, and she played phenomenal. Obviously, we’re missing a huge piece with Lauren out, but everyone stepped up in their own way, and I think that that makes a really great team.”
Barker finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Gardiner also had 18 points for the Bruins to go along with four rebounds. Rice’s 16 points and seven assists were also crucial.
But UCLA (24-1 overall, 12-1 Big Ten) missed Betts’ defensive presence, the Spartans scoring 40 points in the paint.
“The biggest thing that hurt us not having Lauren tonight was how we would play defensively,” Close said. “And it took us a long time to figure out how we could adjust with her not being there as a rim protector. … When I got the text that Lauren wasn’t going to be able to go, I started thinking about how they had already earned this. They beat a top-25 team in Creighton, and they did it without Lauren. They know how to do this. We got plenty to do it. It’s time for next woman up.”
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1. UCLA’s Londynn Jones tries to drive past Michigan State’s Theryn Hallock in the second half. 2. UCLA’s Londynn Jones, left, tries to strip the ball away from Michigan State’s Jaddan Simmons. 3. UCLA’s Kiki Rice (1) smiles with teammates in the final minute of the Bruins’ win Sunday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Michigan State (19-6, 9-5) was the more physical team early in the second half with an aggressive press, forcing five UCLA turnovers in the first five minutes.
Theryn Hallock and Julia Ayrault led the way for Michigan State as they erased UCLA’s eight-point halftime lead. The Spartans took their first lead late in the third quarter off a Jocelyn Tate layup and held a 55-53 lead going into the fourth.
Michigan State extended its lead with two free throws on the first possession and led for most of the fourth until Gardiner’s critical three-pointer put the Bruins ahead by two.
Rice extended the lead to four after hitting two free throws following a Michigan State team technical foul. She hit another two free throws with 13 seconds left to secure an important win for UCLA following their first loss of the season Thursday to rival USC.
“I think [the win] meant a lot to us,” Rice said. “We didn’t want to let one loss derail our season because we know the kind of team we are, but it was really great to just have so many different people step up tonight. I think it brings everyone confidence, and it really just puts us in a good mindset going into the next few games, which will be tough.”
As time expired, Barker grabbed a missed layup by Grace VanSlooten and waved to the raucous Pauley Pavilion crowd.
With March looming, Close knows the Bruins are in position to get a high NCAA tournament seed, but she wants to see more from her team over the final stretch of the regular season.
“I think we can play grittier,” Close said. “I’m proud of how we did it [tonight], but I even think there’s more in us. I think there’s more. We still let the game happen to us in too many possessions, and I just started to think about how good we are now, but if we could, every practice, fight for a few more inches, if we could fight for more consistent rebounding, if we could fight for more talk out there and more connectivity, who knows?”
Lansing — Republican candidates for governor and Democratic contenders for the U.S. Senate will square off in a series of televised debates this week, giving voters across Michigan their best chances yet to compare the political hopefuls.
At 7 p.m. Tuesday, the Grand Rapids NBC affiliate WOOD-TV will host a televised statewide debate featuring the three Democrats running for the U.S. Senate: former Wayne County health official Abdul El-Sayed of Ann Arbor, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow of Royal Oak and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham.
Then, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, WJBK-TV (Fox 2 Detroit) will host a debate for the three Republican candidates for governor: former Attorney General Mike Cox of Livonia, U.S. Rep. John James of Shelby Township and businessman Perry Johnson of Bloomfield Hills. The next night, WOOD-TV, which has been using the phrase “debate week” to promote the upcoming events, will host another debate with the three GOP gubernatorial hopefuls at 7 p.m. Thursday.
The string of forums will provide voters a chance to hear from people who want to be the state’s future leaders, said David Dulio, a political science professor at Oakland University.
“Any opportunity that voters have to hear directly from candidates in an unfiltered, uncontrolled, uncurated environment is good,” Dulio said.
The debates will come about four weeks before the Aug. 4 primary election, and many Michigan residents have absentee ballots available to them.
Michigan’s governor, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, can’t run again because of term limits. Meanwhile, the state has an open U.S. Senate seat because Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, decided against seeking reelection.
Many Democrats said they believe the race for their party’s nomination to replace Peters could be tight. If that’s the case, the televised debate on Tuesday could be important, said Adrian Hemond, CEO of the Lansing-based political consulting firm Grassroots Midwest.
“A marginal difference is a big difference in a close race,” Hemond said of the potential impact of the debate.
Who’s running to be Michigan’s governor?
The three remaining GOP candidates for governor, Cox, James and Johnson, are all expected to participate in the debates this week.
James has avoided most of the primary forums that have been organized. James ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020 before winning in 2022 his U.S. House seat that represents a portion of Macomb County as well as Rochester and Rochester Hills.
President Donald Trump endorsed James to be Michigan’s next governor on June 22.
Johnson has dominated the TV airwaves this year, shelling out millions of dollars of his own money to promote his bid. He made his fortune developing quality controls for the auto industry. He is running on eliminating the state’s 4.25% personal income tax, which currently generates more than $13 billion in revenue annually.
Cox, who was Michigan’s attorney general from 2003 through 2010, has worked as a lawyer with The Mike Cox Law Firm.
The Democratic side has two candidates for governor: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson of Detroit, and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson of Fenton.
Benson is viewed as the favorite to be the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in part because of her slew of endorsements, including that of the United Auto Workers union. She didn’t participate in a June 4 primary debate organized by Fox 2.
Who’s running for the U.S. Senate in Michigan?
Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary has gained the national spotlight as a test of how the party’s voters might be leaning after the 2024 presidential election.
El-Sayed, a progressive candidate who ran unsuccessfully for governor eight years ago, has said he wants to build an economy that works for working people, provide guaranteed health care coverage and protect clean air and water.
He’s often clashed with Stevens, who’s been a member of the U.S. House since 2018. Stevens has said she wants to focus on combating rising costs and protecting personal freedoms and entitlement programs like Social Security.
McMorrow was first elected to the state Senate in 2018. Her campaign website vows that she will root out corruption, protect rights and keep tax dollars working at home instead of funding wars.
The Republican nominee will be former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of White Lake, who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2024.
How to watch the debates
The WOOD-TV debates on Tuesday and Thursday will be carried by CBS Detroit in the Detroit area, WBSF in the Flint area, WLAJ in the Lansing television market, WWTV in the Traverse City area, WJMN in the Marquette area and WBKB in the Alpena area.
The Wednesday night Fox 2 Detroit debate will be streamed on its website. The first 30 minutes of it will be televised on Fox 2 during The Pulse’s regular time slot, hosted by anchor Roop Raj, who is moderating the debate.
cmauger@detroitnews.com
Michigan
3 dead after vehicle collides with semitruck on Interstate 94 in Wayne County, Michigan State Police say
Three people are dead after a vehicle hit the back of a semitruck on Interstate 94 in Southeast Michigan late Friday, state officials said.
The Michigan State Police responded to the crash on eastbound I-94 near Michigan Avenue in Wayne County around 11:44 p.m. Investigators said the semitruck was stopped in traffic due to flooding when it was struck by the vehicle.
Three passengers in the vehicle that crashed into the semi died at the scene, according to the state law enforcement agency, and the driver was taken into custody.
The ages of the individuals involved in the collision have not yet been disclosed by officials.
As of Saturday afternoon, the investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Michigan
What to know about cyclosporiasis as Michigan health officials investigate 300+ cases in outbreak
Over 300 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported within a week in Southeast Michigan, and Michigan health officials are investigating.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) are actively investigating the potential source of the “large and growing outbreak” of cases confirmed in Monroe, Lenawee, Washtenaw, Wayne, Shiawassee, Jackson and Livingston counties.
Health officials also reported 24 cases across 11 other Michigan counties, including in the city of Detroit. Typically, Michigan only gets around 50 cases per year.
On July 1, MDHHS reported there were at least 170 cases. On Thursday, the number of cases jumped to at least 300.
Read more –> Michigan health officials warn of ‘large and growing outbreak’ of cyclosporiasis
The age range of individuals who were diagnosed with the illness ranges from 8 years old to 84 years old, with a median age of 41, according to MDHHS.
Health officials are working to determine the common exposure of the outbreak in Michigan.
Here’s what to know about cyclosporiasis:
What is cyclosporiasis?
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by a parasite and infects the small intestine.
Healthcare providers can diagnose the illness by testing a stool sample.
Signs and symptoms
If infected with cyclosporiasis, people may experience watery diarrhea with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.
The illness can last from a few days to over a month if the illness is not treated. Symptoms could relapse.
The timeframe from becoming infected to becoming sick usually takes about one week but can range from two days to two weeks or more.
In the US, outbreaks of cyclosporiasis have been linked to various types of fresh produce. People can get infected with Cyclospora more than once.
Anyone who experiences symptoms of cyclosporiasis should see their healthcare provider.
How it spreads
The illness can spread when people eat food or drink water that was contaminated with feces.
The CDC said it can take at least one or two weeks outside the body for Cyclospora to become infectious after passing in a bowel movement, making direct person-to-person transmission unlikely.
How to prevent cyclosporiasis
According to the CDC, people can prevent infection by avoiding food or water that may contain feces and by following food safety recommendations for safe preparation and storage.
The CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water before and after handling or preparing raw fruits and vegetables.
Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting or cooking. Cut away any damaged or bruised areas on fruits and vegetables before preparing and eating.
Read more on prevention here.
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